It is not hyperbole to say Stephanie Humphrey has an eye for details.
The Plant City photographer opened recently her first studio, situated off Collins Street in Historic Downtown Plant City. It’s one large, open room, with dreamy natural light pouring in from the storefront windows and backdrops and portrait lighting situated at the back. With exposed brick walls, painted concrete floors, shabby chic décor and Humphrey’s new logo in the window, the studio is both historic and hip — and an extension of Humphrey’s personality.
Everything is situated just so. If there is a bump or crease in the area rug on the floor, Humphrey will smooth it out. She doesn’t care for the flat-screen LCD she uses to show clients their images — because it covers the beautiful brick — but concedes it is a necessary evil. The typical portrait photographer clutter — props, outfits, backdrops — all are tucked away in the back. Humphrey wants her studio perfect. Picture perfect.
“I’ll zoom 100 times in (on a photo) to make sure its right,” Humphrey says, smiling. “People will say, ‘It’s not going to print (that large),’ but I need to know it’s right.”
It may sound obsessive, but Humphrey’s attention to detail has earned the self-taught photographer plenty of work. Even if you haven’t heard of Humphrey’s name, you likely have seen her work. She’s photographed some of Plant City’s most notable events, including Plant City High School’s annual Calendar Girls pageant. She’s also photographed the Florida Strawberry Festival Queen and Court for several years for the Plant City Lions Club’s annual pageant book.
But, her favorite projects come from what started it all: portraits of high school seniors.
“We capture what they are into at that point in their lives,” Humphrey says of her seniors. “They probably will change quite a bit in the next four years, but this is who they are right now.
“For the moms, I’m capturing the loves of their lives,” she says. “And for the kids, they’re ready to enter the next phase of their lives. They have voices, and they want to be heard. That’s what I try to help them do.”
And for Humphrey, capturing the lives of those who call Plant City home is dream come true. Even if she never saw it coming.
A SHUTTERBUG IS BORN
Humphrey and her family moved in the 1970s to Plant City, when she was just in the third grade. When she was in junior high, she received her first camera — a Kodak 110 — as a gift from her grandmother.
Immediately, a photographer was born.
“I was the kid who always had the camera,” she remembers. “I’d make my sister and cousins pose in the front yard. I’d do a lot of beach sunsets, too. I thought I was fantastic.”
Humphrey always harbored an artistic side. She loved doing hair and makeup, and as a child, she spent many hours rearranging and redecorating her bedroom.
“My mother never knew what my room was going to look like when she opened the door,” Humphrey says.
Humphrey graduated in 1986, from Plant City High School. After she and her husband, Byron, had their three sons, Eric, 27, Ryan, 26, and Kent, 19, she dedicated her time to raising the children.
As the boys rose through the ranks of athletics — from Little League through high school football — Humphrey always had her camera at the ready. Soon, she started taking photos of not only her sons but also their teammates. She then chose the best images, placed them in white envelopes and delivered them to the locker rooms.
Soon, other parents stopped bringing their own cameras to the games, relying on Humphrey to take photos of the whole team. As her boys grew into teenagers, Humphrey started shooting Homecoming and Prom dances. The hobby quickly was turning into something more. And in those days of film and processing, costs added up.
“My husband eventually said, ‘You need to start making money doing this, or we have to cut you off,’” Humphrey remembers.
At a photography conference in Tampa, Humphrey met wildlife photographer Bill Fortney. His book, “Great Photography Workshop,” became the base of Humphrey’s image education. She learned about white balance, color and more. Then, a switch to digital gave her the freedom to experiment, fine-tune and grow.
CLASS ACTS
Some high school seniors come to Humphrey with a lifetime of experience in front of the camera. Most come with hobbies — playing on an athletic team or having an interest in music, drama or other activity.
One of Humphrey’s most memorable clients came only with a love of jeans. Blue jeans.
After much deliberation, Humphrey decided to have the client string her denim collection on a clothesline as a background. The result was one of Humphrey’s favorite senior portraits.
Another client loved pigs. So much so that her father borrowed one from a friend to use as a prop.
“These seniors have so many unique traits, and I tell them not to compare themselves with others,” Humphrey says. “I want them to be unique, to be themselves.
“I love watching them realize how beautiful they really are,” she says.
And, contrary to popular belief, it’s not just the girls who love hamming it up in front of Humphrey’s lenses. The guys — although often requiring a little more coaxing at the beginning — don’t mind the superstar treatment, too.
“Oh, they get into it,” Humphrey says, laughing. “And they should. The next time they’ll have this many photos taken of them will be at their wedding.”
And yes, Humphrey does those, too. Although, she was reluctant at first — and for good reason.
A DAY TO REMEMBER
For years, Humphrey simply refused to take any wedding gigs. But, it wasn’t because of a lack of interest or her fear of bridezillas. It was something much deeper, much more personal.
“My husband and I got married 28 years ago, and we have no wedding photos,” Humphrey says. “I don’t know if the cameras failed or the film went bad or what, but we literally do not have wedding pictures.
“So, for me, I thought there was just too much responsibility on that day,” she says. “I could never forgive myself if I was hired to shoot a wedding and then wasn’t able to give them photos. Those are just too valuable. And I know, because I don’t have any.”
However, after a chance meeting with Valrico-based photographer Jeff Mason four years ago, she changed her mind. Humphrey attended a wedding for which Mason was hired to shoot. Humphrey had her camera there, too, and took some shots for the family. The two photographers exchanged cards, and two days later, Mason called. He was impressed with the work he saw on Humphrey’s website and asked if she would be interested in working as a second shooter. Mason would take the can’t-miss shots, while Humphrey focused on candids, detail shots and others.
Since then, the two have partnered dozens of times, and now, weddings and engagements are among Humphrey’s favorite shoots. She’s even been asked to shoot engagement photos for seniors she shot at the end of high school.
“I love going back,” she says. “That’s a huge honor.”
EYE ON THE FUTURE
Humphrey admits driving by her studio more than once the day her new logo was installed in the center window. The simple-yet-timeless image — a vintage bird wearing a crown — was designed by her office neighbor, Agency M33, a creative design and marketing firm.
At first, Humphrey balked at the crown. After all, she doesn’t consider herself royalty. Moreover, the majority of her clients aren’t pageant queens. But, the more she thought about it, she realized the crown was the perfect branding image for her business.
“For the moms, every kid is special; every kid is royalty,” she says. “That’s how they should feel.”
With her studio now open, Humphrey is working toward earning Certified Professional Photographer status. The application process includes a portfolio critique by a panel of master photographers.
“That will be validation for me,” Humphrey says. “I do want to be the best.”
She also hopes to utilize her new space to produce more images for the town she loves.
“I’ve always dreamed of something like this,” she says of her studio. “I’ve been told I could go to South Tampa (to shoot), but I want to have my business here in Plant City.
“This is my city, and these are my people,” Humphrey says. “This is who I want to photograph.”
Contact Michael Eng at meng@plantcityobserver.com.
FIRST KISS
Dustin and Jessica Bailey may be the only couple in the world who has a photo of their first kiss.
While they were in high school, Dustin, a friend of Stephanie Humphrey’s oldest son, Eric, had asked Jessica to the Prom as friends. Always a practical joker, Dustin thought it would be funny to plant one right on Jessica’s lips. He told Humphrey of the plan, and she had her camera ready.
Years later, the Baileys used the photo as part of their wedding slideshow.